Nine-year-old latest victim of swine flu

NHS London has confirmed that a girl of nine years of age has become the fifth death in the UK attributed to swine flu.

The girl, from south London, was described as having "serious underlying health problems" and died "over the weekend" according to a spokesman.

A man from south London who also had health problems and was 19 years old died last week from the disease.

The capital comes second in the list of the most badly affected areas of the UK, with over 1,900 cases of swine flu.

The NHS London spokesman said: "Once again we wish to take this opportunity to remind the public that for most people this is a minor illness and that they should start to feel better after a few days without needing to go to their GP or A&E."

"However, some people may be more susceptible to the virus. If you have flu-like symptoms it's important that you talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, very young, over-65 or have long-term conditions such as asthma or diabetes."

Chief Medical Office Sir Liam Donaldson said last week that the UK was no longer trying to contain the virus and was instead in the "treatment phase".

Experts have said that the amount of cases of swine flu in the UK could increase to over 100,000 by the end of August.